Trust
by ClockworkOtter
Summary: Wrath, abandoned under Central, waits to die. Alex, trying to help find Edward, finds Wrath and takes him in. Wrath wants to trust him, but after being betrayed so many times, he doesn't dare. AlexWrath, lemons in later chapters. Blame Winds of Water.
1. Chapter 1

A/N: Warnings: AlexWrath. Brain bleach will be needed. There will be smut. Don't blame me, blame Winds of Water! This is her birthday gift.

"What? Edward Elric is missing?" Alex's head jerked up like a dog offered a treat. "This is disastrous!" He stood. "I must join the efforts to find him!" He stood, his chair and desk knocked away by his bulk. He ripped off his shirt. "For the Strong Arm Alchemist has never let a comrade vanish without a thought!" He thundered.

Brigadier General Mustang winced. "Yes, Major Armstrong, I know. And yes, please, come with us. We could use another alchemist."

Alex frowned. One would never expect it, but Alex Louis Armstrong was extremely observant. He noted the dark circles under Mustang's eyes- or, rather, eye, he couldn't see the other. Mustang had taken to wearing a rather large eyepatch. Mustang looked almost old, as if he had aged years in just the week since Edward had gone missing. Alex knew why, too. Mustang had searched for the younger alchemist, covered up for him, did countless things to help out the alchemist, and Edward never noticed them.

Alex did, and he knew Mustang's secret.

Mustang had fallen in love with Edward Elric.

It didn't really surprise him. Edward was very attractive, after all, and although he'd thought Mustang was straight at first, well, it all really depended on the person. Alex knew he was completely gay, and made no effort to hide it, but he never denied the possibility of falling for a woman.

He clapped Mustang on the shoulder. "I will do all in my power to bring your life's true love back to you." Normally, he would have shouted such a thing, but he knew Mustang would not appreciate something like that. After all, what if someone heard?

Mustang's eyes went wide. "What?" He asked. "How did you know?" He didn't bother denying it. Alex knew that Mustang knew that Alex was far too intelligent – if eccentric- to be put off by denial.

Alex smiled reassuringly at the Brigadier General. "Simple observation!" He rumbled. "The way you always look after him! Breaking the law to keep him safe! Sending your own money into his bank account when he runs low! Counteracting the Fuhrer's orders just to help him! Giving him the missions that bring him closer to his goal!" He felt hot tears gushing over his cheeks, faking the emotions he'd mastered so perfectly. Oh, he certainly felt them, but not to the extent he pretended. It was better that way. "It moves me more than I can say!" He grabbed Mustang and pulled him into a crushing hug. "Say no more! I will help, and you have no need to ask!" He dragged the gasping alchemist out the door, heading towards... somewhere.

He stopped, dropping Mustang's arm. "Eh... where are we going?" He asked.

Mustang groaned, leaning against the wall of the hallway that had instantly emptied on seeing the alchemists arrived.

After all, Alex thought, no one wants to be nearby if the great Flame Alchemist started snapping.

X

"To think such a great secret lay hidden under central!" Armstrong declared.

Roy sighed. _If he weren't such a great alchemist, I probably would have gotten out my gloves._ He reflected. _But we need to find Edward, and I need as many alchemists as Grumman will spare._

Unfortunately, that wasn't many. Roy had quickly discovered that Grumman was already overtaxed with the need for alchemists, and couldn't spare the team Roy needed.

Really, he hadn't been able to spare Roy or Armstrong, either. The two of them and Riza had taken a sick day and gone on their own to the place Edward had vanished, with only Black Hayate to track him. Luckily, the dog knew Edward's scent almost as well as his own, which made things easier. Al had been in no shape to tell them anything- he didn't even remember Roy or anyone he had met. His memories were completely gone, leaving them with only the dog.

Sometimes, Roy really thanked God that he'd given the dog to Riza. Under his tutelage, Black Hayate would probably never have reached his full potential.

"We should split up." He said out loud. "Riza, you and I will go west. Major Armstrong, go east."

"Shouldn't I go elsewhere as well?" She asked.

"No." He shook his head. "Each team needs an alchemist."

"But what about Black Hayate? Each team needs a tracker." She argued.

Armstrong clapped her on the shoulder. "At this point, that is unnecessary. We are searching for clues, not Edward Elric himself. Clues could be anywhere." He explained.

Roy nodded. "Exactly. Now, let's go!"

x

Alex watched the pair walk away. "Oh, poor Mustang! With no hope of finding his love!" He whispered. He turned and started running. He really did sympathize. Alex himself had no hope of it, after all, who could fall for the infamous Strong Arm Alchemist?

He wandered for what must have been hours. The only clues he could find were odd areas that looked as if they'd been bitten, and even odder areas that looked as if acid had burned away at them.

_If there is a very strong creature here, I must be careful._ He thought. He continued walking, slipping on his gauntlets.

That's when he found the first clue.

The first door to the largest building stood open. Since all the other buildings were closed off or in ruins, this was different. Interested, he walked inside.

_An opera theater?_ He thought, stunned. The electricity still worked, too! It gave him an idea of just how damned _old_ this place must be- there had been no opera theaters since the 1500s. It had died out along with Christianity and the Armstrong gift of dancing. _What a loss! A loss! _He wasn't even sure himself which he was talking about.

He went deeper into the building, finding himself growing more and more curious. Here, a bookshelf full of new books- or, at least, much newer than they should have been, dating only to circa 1750 and later.

He entered the last room and froze.

A boy with long brown hair raised his head. He was curled up on a small makeshift cot. Alex recognized him instantly- the Homunculus that was Izumi Curtis's son.

He looked _terrible._ One of his arms and one of his legs was missing, and his clothing was torn and stained. A stench of sweat filled the room, testifying that the boy hadn't seen a shower in too long. His eyes narrowed.

"What kind of cruel soul would leave such a young boy here to die!" He rumbled. He strode forward.

The boy's eyes widened, and he started to look slightly nervous.

"Worry not, young one! I, Alex Louis Armstrong, the Strong Arm Alchemist, will protect you! For many years, my family has taken in countless like you! You will be received with welcome!" He dropped to his knees. "Come, allow me to see to your wounds! The gift of alchemical healing has passed down through my family for years, since my great ancestor Amelia Armstrong, the Healing Alchemist!"

The child nodded slowly. "Okay." He said. Alex could tell the boy hadn't spoken in at least a week, and hadn't had enough water. His voice was raspy and cracked.

Easily remedied. He was an alchemist, after all, and there was plenty of hydrogen and oxygen in the air.

He scratched a quick circle in the ground and activated it, and quickly formed a cup out of the stone. "First, would you like some water?" He asked.

"Yes. Please." The child added on hurriedly.

_So he remembers his manners. Good child!_ Another circle, and he handed the cup of water to the child, who drank greedily. _I wonder where he learned them? As far as I am aware, he did not __exactly spend much time with his mother. Maybe the other Homunculi? I don't see why they'd have any use for manners, though._

_ He's beautiful. _Alex finally caught of the Homunculus's face. He instantly backtracked. _What the hell? He's a child!_

"Thank you." The child said. His voice sounded better already.

Alex smiled. "Here, allow me to clean you up." He said, already scratching a circle into the ground.

"Yes, sir."

Alex dispensed of the dirt on the child. He stood. "I will carry you to my home, then, where you will be welcomed with high honors!"

The child just looked at him.

Alex gave the boy his sparkliest smile. "No need to be so quiet!" He ripped off his shirt and flexed his muscles. "I, Alex Louis Armstrong, am here to protect you!" The child really did bring out his protective instincts- he had warm blue eyes, an open face, and straggly brown hair that just made you want to take him home and give him milk and cookies.

So Alex decided that would be the first thing he'd do as soon as the child was in Armstrong manor.

Wrath was about to be spoiled rotten.

X

Wrath had long since realized the man was insane.

Even now, being fitted for artificial limbs, he kept glancing over to where the large man was. The man, Alex, had been hovering over him every second possible, only stopping his careful watching to speak to the Flame Alchemist. Then he'd been right back to it.

Wrath had never seen this kind of devotion- even from Izumi. After all, she had wanted to kill him, right? That's not devotion. Izumi, he knew, had loved him, but how could he trust someone who only intended on eventually ending his life?

How could he trust anyone, really? He was a Homunculus, an artificial human. Everyone he'd met had tried to kill him eventually. Even other Homunculi.

And yet, he wanted to trust Alex. The man had actually helped him, without asking for anything- yet.

Who knew what kinds of things he would ask for in return, though? The man obviously had no inclination to women, and Wrath knew he was considered attractive for his obvious age. And it wasn't like he could trust him- who could he trust? No one.

Edward had tried to kill him. Alphonse, even though he'd been nice at first, had actually wanted to rip Wrath's arm and leg off. Izumi had tried to kill him. Envy had manipulated him and eventually left him for dead. Dante had left him for dead. Gluttony... well, it wasn't really his fault, but the betrayal stung anyway. And mama... mama had been killed. Mama hadn't left him. Mama had loved him. Even if she hadn't really trusted him.

He'd just have to keep reminding himself not to trust Alex. If the man ever found out what he was, after all, he would probably either try to kill him or would take him apart to experiment on. Unless he already knew? They had seen each other before, after all.

But for now, the man was giving him limbs, food, and a place to stay that wasn't filled with creepy things.

_Okay, I know, I'm a big bad-ass homunculus. But spiders still scare the shit out of me._

_Okay, maybe I'm not that bad-ass. I don't even have alchemy anymore._

He sighed bitterly. Alchemy had been the one thing going for him, and even that was gone. _Maybe Alex will teach me something. From all he's said, he has quite a few talents. And, he's an alchemist, so I at least have someone to talk about it to!_ He thought. _And at least I won't be stuck down there waiting for my Stones to wear out so I can die._

He blinked as the blonde lady fitting him sat up. "You're the same size as Edward. I have plenty of automail arms and legs for these same limbs, and you're even the same size!" She said cheerfully. "I hope he won't mind me using one! I can make more before he gets back, hopefully." She stood up. "Let me go get them!"

Wrath nodded and brushed his hair out of his face. _You know,_ He thought crossly, _If my hair didn't grow back so fast, I'd just cut it._ His hair stayed in the same state constantly. He'd tried cutting it before, but it had just grown right back. It had been really annoying. _I'll probably end up putting it in a ponytail or a braid or something. Not a braid, that's too much like Edward's._ He thought. _And he never even gave me a chance._ He frowned.

"It's not my fault." He whispered.

Alex knelt in front of him. "What's not your fault, little one?"

Wrath blinked, surprised. "I..." He faltered. "I don't wanna talk about it." He muttered.

Alex smiled gently, eyes suspiciously bright. "Poor child. No..." He looked Wrath in the eyes, something that startled Wrath on it's own. People might meet his eyes, but they usually looked right away- not because he was scary, but he was apparently completely forgettable. "You haven't ever been a child, have you?" The man asked.

Wrath felt his eyes widen, staring into Alex's eyes- blue, almost the opposite of his normal brown. His eyes started to burn.

_Am I about to cry? No, no, no, I won't cry! Showing weakness only makes it easier for people to hurt me._ He forced back the tears and settled a mask over his face. "No." He said. "I have never been a child." It was true, he realized, and in more ways than one- physically and mentally. After all, he was the equivalent of a twenty year old mentally, after having spent all that time in the gate. And physically, though he might look like a child, he wasn't human. Could he be considered a child?

Of course, Alex had to ruin the introspective moment. "Then, allow me to help you with that!" He roared. Wrath leaned back in surprise, away from the crazy man. The man ripped off his shirt. Again. "What person could feel something other than childlike wonder when gazing at these muscles!"

In a panic, Wrath looked desperately around for someone to save him. He groaned when he saw Winry in a heap on the ground. _She fainted!_ He couldn't blame the girl... wait. Was that a nosebleed?

In a panic, Wrath threw himself off the table to get away from Alex.

Of course, when you have doting war alchemists with amazing reflexes, that doesn't turn out how you want it.

Alex somehow got to him in time to catch him, and Wrath froze, completely stunned, pinned against Alex's chest.

"Are you well, my dearest child?"

Wrath's face burned, pressed into the mixed hard-soft of Alex's chest. He pulled away just a bit, gasping for air.

_Alex smells good._ His fuzzy brain thought hazily. The man did, actually; contrary to popular belief, he did not wear cologne. Instead, he smelled normal- like skin, and the faint metallic scent of sweat, not enough to be unpleasant.

_What the hell am I thinking!_ He thought as the blood finally got to his brain. He jerked away, his fist connecting with the side of Alex's face. "Let go of me!" He yelped.

Alex dropped him, looking quite surprised. Wrath, unused to not having all of his limbs, toppled over again, but caught himself on the table.

"Ah! Allow me to apologize! The sight of my muscles should-"

Oh, no. Alex wasn't going to take anything else off, was he?

X

_How can anyone waste so much money on all this!_

Wrath stared, appalled, at the Armstrong Manor.

Statues. Fountains. More statues. Gold. Silver. More statues. More fountains. Expensive gardens. More statues. And all of the statues looked like Alex.

What kind of waste was this? He wondered. Wrath unconsciously stepped closer to Alex, feeling quite uncomfortable. He liked the wilderness, trees and clearings and bushes and mice and animals and wildness.

It didn't look like this manor had anything like that.

"Wrath?" Alex laid a hand on his shoulder. "Are you well?"

"It's so controlled." Wrath said, eyes wide.

"Hm?" Alex dropped to one knee in front of him.

Wrath flinched. "It's nothing." He said curtly. He started forward, leaving Alex behind. To his credit, the large man caught up far faster than someone his size should have been able to. _Stubborn bastard._

"If you truly wish, I could create somewhere for you." Alex offered.

Wrath blinked, startled by the request. No one had offered something like that before. "What do you want in return?" He asked tremulously. Envy had given him the Stones in return for Wrath to do his dirty work. Dante had taken him in in return for his services. What would Alex want? He really wanted a place of his own. He suddenly realized he'd never wanted anything so much. Alex would know how much he wanted it. Wrath felt a spark of fear. Alex could ask for anything, and Wrath would give it to him. He prepared himself.

"Eh?" Alex blinked. "Why would I want anything in return?"

Wrath stared, eyes wide. Alex hadn't wanted anything? "Surely you want... something." Wrath protested. "Everyone does."

Alex shook his head. "No, I just want to help you."

"I don't believe you." Wrath frowned. "Everyone wants something. You've got all this money, so it can't be that. You're powerful, so you wouldn't need me to kill someone for you." He ignored Alex's widening eyes. "Really, I can only think of a few things someone like you could want." He winced. "And out of those, I only have one. My body. If you can think of something else, great, but don't pretend that you don't want something from me, even if that's not it." He refused to look at Alex, turning away.

A large hand landed on him automail shoulder and pulled him around. Startled, he looked up at Alex's eyes. The cool blue depths roiled with anger. "I know what I want." He growled. "I want you to never assume anything like that about me again!" He pulled Wrath into a rough hug. Wrath squeaked. "I don't know who put these ideas into your head, dearest one, but I will remove them!" Alex vowed. "I will not have you believe humanity is evil."

Wrath blushed. _No way is someone this kind._ He thought. _He called me 'dearest one?' What does that mean? Does he actually care about me? No, that can't be it. We practically just met, anyway._

"Dearest, come with me." He pulled away and took Wrath's hand. "Have you ever had cookies?"

"Cookies? What are cookies?" Wrath asked.

"Dearest one! You don't even know what they are?"

"No... what kind of word is 'cookies?'"

x

Wrath still hadn't figured out who came up with the word 'cookies' but whoever came up with the things themselves was a God in Wrath's eyes.

Chocolate chip cookies were divine. The melty chocolate that just filled your mouth, the sweet and golden brown goodness that made up the dough, the heat that filled your mouth, the warm, home-like smell that just pervaded your nostrils and made you want to eat them forever.

Wrath had eaten about twenty of them and was watching the stove for the next batch. _Bake, bake, bake!_ He chanted in his head. _Come on, hurry up! Smells so good!_

At first, he'd been apprehensive. What on earth could a 'cookie' be? It couldn't be anything really good ,with a name like he'd smelled them, and pessimist that we was, had thought they wouldn't be as good as they smelled. He was right. They were better.

"Dearest, you have a bit of chocolate on your chin." Alex laughed and handed Wrath a napkin.

Wrath flushed and wiped his face. "But they're so good!" He protested as a defense. They were ,even if they made one thirsty. Milk washed it right down, and they were really good dipped in the milk, too.

"Yes, they are, and you've had too many already. You're due for a dreadful stomach ache."

"I don't get stomach aches!" Wrath pleaded. He really, really wanted that next batch.

Alex sighed. "I don't believe you. Come, I'll take you to a room for you to sleep."

He ended up dragging Wrath away with his superior strength. How was the man stronger than a Homunculus, even one as pathetic as Wrath? As the door closed behind them, Wrath glared at Alex. "No fair." He said, pouting. "I wanted more cookies."

"Dearest, I will spoil you rotten, I swear. The cookies will be there in the morning. But I must keep you healthy, or you'll never get to this point! Behold!"

Wrath sighed as the man ripped off his shirt, cheeks burning for some odd reason Wrath couldn't fathom. _Just when he was starting to act normal._

"No, I'm joking." Alex chuckled. "I only truly do that when those I don't quite trust are around." He put his shirt back on, not bothering to fix the countless medals and military attachments. Wrath knew he'd probably never know what they all meant.

Wrath blinked. "You trust me?" He asked, startled. Trust was an odd thing to Wrath- he'd trusted Ed at first, but all he'd gotten in return was hatred and hostility. He'd trusted Alphonse, and Alphonse had literally wanted to rip off his limbs. Okay, so they were actually Edward's, but still! He'd trusted Izumi, and she had tried to strangle him. He'd trusted Dante, and she'd stolen his limbs from him just to keep him from talking! He'd almost trusted Envy, but the damn palm tree had betrayed him too.

He'd decided not to trust.

"Yes."

"You don't trust Mustang, or Edward, or Alphonse?" Wrath asked wonderingly. His throat tried to close up at the thought. Even though he'd trusted people, they'd never trusted him. Even, Sloth, his mommy, hadn't really trusted him. Whenever he'd made a sudden move, she' always lash out, even though she'd apologize afterward. Trust was about as alien to him as Alex himself was.

"No, I don't." Alex smiled. "I act more single-minded, or simpleminded, than I actually am around them to hide my knowledge. If I were to reveal some things, I would be killed. I am not quite so daring as I would have them believe."

"What things?" Wrath asked.

"Mostly alchemy. Some politics. Say, dearest, how old are you?" Alex quickly changed the subject, clearly not wanting to talk about it anymore. Wrath noticed, but decided to let it go. The man must have a reason, after all, and Wrath could not fault him for caution.

"Well, in human years, I'm ten 'an a haf!'" Wrath joked. Alex smiled. "But in the Gate, time runs differently. Mentally, I'm around nineteen or twenty."

"I see. What is your favorite activity?"

"Practicing alchemy."

"You're an alchemist?" Alex flashed him a surprised look, his eyebrows- or lack thereof- raising.

Wrath winced. "Was." He said bitterly. "I can't do it anymore." Without a trace of human in him, he couldn't access the Gate. The Gate opened only to real humans.

"Why not?" Alex asked. "Surely you still remember it all?" Yeah, Wrath thought. I remember composition, atomic numbers, compounds, everything. But it's useless without the Gate.

"Alex, have you forgotten what I am?" Wrath asked, startled. Alex couldn't have forgotten Wrath was a homunculus, right? The man had actually fought to catch him for that reason once!

"No. You're a Homunculus." Alex's eyes were amazingly calm. _How can he just accept it? How can he treat me like a human?_

"Exactly. And without human limbs, I cannot do alchemy." Wrath sighed.

Alex clapped him on the shoulder. Wrath winced, that was the automail shoulder which was still a little sore. "Well, even if you cannot, I can. I'm willing to help any way I can."

"How could you do that?"

"Come morning, and you shall know, dearest."

"Why do you keep calling me dearest?"Wrath grumbled, embarrassed and a bit put off from the nickname. The stupidest nickname he'd had before Alex had come along had been Wrathy, and that was bad enough. 'Dearest' felt like something you'd call a lover, and Wrath was completely sure he and Alex would never end up that way. (A/N: ***snicker***)

"Because you are." Alex smiled.

"How?" Wrath demanded, clenching flesh and metal fists.

Alex smiled. He ruffled Wrath's hair. Wrath winced away, knocking Alex's arm away with his automail fist. "Dearest, calm yourself." The man chastised.

"Stop calling me that!" Wrath flared up.

"No." Alex said, unruffled. "I like calling you that."  
>"Why?" Wrath grumbled, subsiding. Alex ruffled his hair again, and this time, Wrath didn't bother reacting. <em>Crazy bastard!<em> He thought, glaring at the man underneath his hair.

Alex stood up. "I will come in the morning. There is much to do tomorrow." He said, giving Wrath one more smile. "Sleep well, dearest. And who couldn't, with a heartwarming sight such as this!" Alex made to take off his shirt, but stopped when Wrath winced away. "Does that truly bother you?" He asked, smiling. "Or are you just embarrassed to admit you truly love my muscles?"

"S-shut up!" Wrath yelped. "Pervert!"

Alex just laughed. "Oh, dearest, you know I was joking." Alex chastised. "Good night, dearest."

Wrath mumbled something slightly incoherent. Alex chuckled, and Wrath flushed, glaring at the man.

"Just go away already."

"As you wish, dearest."

x

A/N: Happy birthday Connie! Here's the first chapter, hope you enjoy. It's a little short, but I want to get at least some of it up soon. Should have the next part up soon.


	2. Chapter 2 Secrets

A/N: Well, here's the next chapter. ***sigh* **Well... yeah. I'm going to steal Connie's way of answering reviews, it's simple and works, so~

BaroqueAngel: Not very long, I'm afraid. T.T Well... I hope you enjoy this anyway!

Winds of Water: Trust me, I was laughing and cringing too. And yes. You can only blame yourself. Well, no, I'm partly to blame- I agreed. XD And you know Alex would never let little Wrathy run away from him. He is, after all, Alex's dearest. ***Snicker***

batsutousai: Really, I'm going to try pretty hard to make this fic not break minds. Cause, y'know, I don't want _my_ brain broken yet, and I _am_ the one writing this... I'm going to try to make the pairing as normal as I can, but that's going to be pretty hard. Especially when it comes to the smut. ***sighhhhh***

And here it is!

...don't kill me...

xxx

Wrath followed Alex down the hallway, still rubbing sleep out of his eyes. _What time is it, anyway? It's still dark out!_ He thought, annoyed. _I wanna sleep!_ He still followed the man, despite his ill mood.

Alex had barely said a word to him, too. All he'd said was "Wrath. It's time." Shook him awake, waited for him to get dressed, and dragged him off. The man still wouldn't say anything, either, which annoyed Wrath to no end.

_He really should at least tell me where we're going. _Wrath sighed. _How annoying!_

But the usually flamboyantly boisterous man was silent. Wrath shivered, the stone hallway was dark and cold. Wrath could barely see anything, but he could feel the dust in the air. This part of the manor hadn't been touched in years, except there was one path of thinner dust through the center- probably from Alex going through it. Doors lined the walls, but as far as Wrath could tell, they were completely empty. One stood open, and it had literally nothing in it- not even a carpet or tiles. And every once in a while Wrath was sure he felt spider webs across the hallway. _There could be spiders __anywhere! _Wrath thought, feeling no little bit paranoid. He stepped closer to Alex, but tried to be surreptitious- he didn't want to explain that he was afraid of spiders. He had the feeling Alex would laugh.

Or mother hen him again.

Or worse, try to get him to 'get over his fears' as Sloth had done.

She apparently had thought locking him in a room with Envy in a giant spider form would help.

Nope.

Wrath sighed. Why was Alex like that to him, anyway? It was... enjoyable, but oddly creepy in an endearing way. Alex overall was pretty endearing, he supposed.

_Alex? Endearing? Pfft._ He dismissed the thought, a bit weirded out by his own thought processes.

"Are you well, dearest?"

Wrath jumped at the sudden invasion of noise in the silence. He forced his heart to calm down, scowling at his reaction. No way was he going to give anyone the satisfaction of knowing they'd startled him. Envy had snuck up on him once and startled him, and the bastard had tormented him about it for days. The only reason he hadn't tried to beat the elder homunculus into pulp was because he knew he'd be the one turning into pulp. Alchemy was practically useless compared to shape shifting.

"I'm sorry. I didn't mean to startle you."Alex said. Wrath was surprised, the man actually sounded like he meant it. But the fact the man had noticed annoyed him.

"Fuck." Wrath muttered. Alex was way too perceptive.

"Dearest! Where did you learn that word?" Alex asked, turning his head to look over his too-broad shoulder at Wrath. His eyes were wide, and he stared at Wrath as if he'd grown antlers. Wrath had tried that once, in a moment of boredom. He'd found some old hunting trophies and had merged with one. Sloth had thrown a fit.

"Edward." Wrath said simply. Alex would probably understand, after all-

"Edward uses words like that?" Alex sounded genuinely surprised.

Wrath stared at the insane man. He had to be joking. This too-perceptive man seriously had never heard Edward curse? Or was Edward just too terrified to actually curse around the man? Wrath couldn't really blame him, Edward was astoundingly short next to the man, and Wrath could only imagine what even a hug from Alex would do to him.

Even though he'd only thought it and Edward wasn't even in this world, Wrath looked nervously around for the alchemist. It would be like the blonde to appear and punch Wrath for something he'd thought.

And automail punches hurt like hell.

"More often than he uses non-curse words." Wrath answered. "They make up half of his vocabulary."

"Impressive." Alex stated. Wrath gave him an odd look.

Alex was certainly full of surprises. He seemed like such a prude, too, but it seemed that in reality he didn't have the stick up his ass people like Dante had. Or Lust. Her name may not suggest it, but she was really kind of a prude. Then again, Dante had just given the names that looked like they suited them best. It was possible she gave Lust to Lust because Lust had the succubus nail extension power. Wrath just assumed he was Wrath because that was the only name left. It wasn't like he wanted to be Greed.

_I mean, even Wrath suits me better than Greed!_

"What are you thinking about, dearest? You're awfully quiet."

"How to stop you from calling me dearest." Wrath replied instantly. If living with Envy hadn't taught him anything else, it had taught him how to come up with comebacks instantly.

"The only way to do that is to kill me." Alex replied serenely.

"I thought so." Wrath sidled up to the man and smirked at him. Alex ruffled his hair.

Wrath sighed. Alex seemed determined to destroy his dignity. _Well, okay._ He admitted to himself. _I am pretty... cute._ Wrath winced at even calling himself that. _I'd fix that if I could!_ He thought rebelliously. _If only I could cut my hair..._ He thought wistfully. _Maybe if my Stones run out? But now I'm living somewhere that isn't slowly killing me, so... not very likely unless someone decides they want a punching bag. Heh. I may not be an alchemist any more, but even if they do, I can at least fight. Some. And only when I can use my automail for more than just simple movements. It hurts like hell just to hit someone, and not even hard!_

Wrath sighed. The fighting skills were really not as good as he'd like- with his Stones so low, he didn't have much Homunculus in him. While that meant his personality was his real, human personality instead of the 'Wrath the Homunculus,' it also meant he didn't have all of the perks of being a Homunculus.

"Ah... where are we going?" Wrath finally got up the nerve to ask. He knew Alex had something big to show him, but Alex hadn't even specified what genre it was in! Alchemy, history, bodybuilding, Wrath had no clue what was going to happen.

He just hoped it wasn't bodybuilding.

_Good Gate._

Trying to force images of Alex working out away from his brain, he stopped. He glanced ahead of him and saw Alex was walking faster than before. Mentally listing off every curse word he knew, he hurried after the man. _Why is he suddenly walking so fast?_ Wrath wondered. _We must be close by._

As it turned out, 'close by' meant 'two steps.' Wrath didn't have time to dodge as Alex ripped one of the doors open. It bashed into his forehead with a loud _crack._

Wrath barely even realized something was about to hit him when it did, and then something bounced off of his forehead. He exploded in curse words, venting the ones he'd been listing earlier and somehow coming up with even more. He grabbed his forehead.

"Dearest!"

Wrath held up a hand to ward the man off. "I'm fine." He gritted out. "My Stones are taking care of it."

Alex went deathly quiet. "Stones?" The man asked. "You have the Philosopher's Stone?"

Wrath lifted his hand from his face, peering up through his hair as the pain started to fade. Alex showed no emotion, but his eyes were cold. "Y-yes?" He asked, unable to fight off his fear. "Well, not really, they're incomplete, but-" Wrath cut off his rambling before it had gone too far. He didn't know Alex well enough to know if rambling would placate him- if rambling placated anyone.

Alex took a step forward. He took Wrath's wrist and held it in a grip that seemed gentle, but Wrath could feel the tense muscles. Alex was ready to hold him still- or break his wrist- at a moment's notice. He lifted his other hand, far too slowly, and took Wrath's chin between his fingers, forcing Wrath to look into his cold blue eyes. "Whose son do you consider yourself- Miss Curtis, or the other  
>Homunculus?" The man asked, voice low.<p>

Wrath shivered. "Sloth was my mommy." He said in a thin voice.

Immediately, he knew it was the wrong answer as Alex's eyes darkened.

"Izumi tried to kill me!" He flared up, using his automail hand to knock Alex's hand away from his face. He winced at the sharp jab of pain. "She tried to strangle me! Mommy took me in, and she loved me! How did you know about her, anyway?" He demanded.

"Izumi tried to kill you?" Alex's face was completely blank, dumbfounded. The expression on a face like his struck Wrath as hilarious, and he burst out in hysterical laughter. He laughed for almost ten seconds before deciding he needed to calm down.

Wrath forced the laughter back, forcing control over his emotions. He took a deep breath. "Yes." He said calmly. "Izumi took me to the place where she created me and tried to kill me. She failed, and Alphonse and Edward tried to kill me as well."

"Alphonse and Edward?" The man looked as if everything he'd believed in had been destroyed. _Drama queen._ Wrath thought, unsure whether to be amused or guilty for telling the man about it.

"Mm-hmm." Wrath nodded.

Alex dropped his arm and sighed. "Then, who do you consider yourself to be? Wrath the Homunculus, or Wrath, my dearest?"

Wrath blushed. "H-hey!" He exclaimed. "Those aren't very good choices!"

Alex sighed. "If you had to choose one, which would you be?"

Wrath mumbled, "Wrath, your dearest." He didn't want to associate himself with those horrible people he'd lived with. Mommy had been the only good one in the lot, and even she... was it really right to want to kill someone just because you didn't want to admit to being their mother? Would she have ever done that to him?

The thought hit him like lightning.

It was possible, he knew. He winced, and looked away, frowning, as his mind shied away from the uncomfortable subject.

_I won't think about it._ He decided. _I just won't. I don't want to know._

"Dearest."

Wrath jumped. "Hmm?" He asked, hair falling in his face.

"Don't look so sad." Alex chastised. "A smile suits you so much better."

Wrath felt his cheeks heat up again. _How can someone make me blush so much?_ He wondered. _Even Envy and his X-rated dirty jokes never made me blush, and yet Alex can make me blush with a compliment!_ He thought, embarrassed. Unfortunately, embarrassment only made him blush harder. But he had to smile, as embarrassing as that was, it was amused.

"Much better." Alex cupped his face with one large hand and smiled again, his other hand reaching for the door again. "Now, allow me to show you my deepest secrets?"

x

A/N: I'm sorry it's so short, but that was the perfect ending! And hey, this allows me to update faster, anyway. I should have the next chapter up really soon. * sigh * Connie, you are truly evil.

But it's okay. We only love you more for it. Happy birthday.


	3. Chapter 3

A/N: Phew. Put up the second chappie and I am now starting on the third and listening to Within Temptation. Dear Gate I love this band. 333

And, for the review answers!

Batsutousai: Hospital? Why are you in the hospital? D: I'm glad you enjoyed it though! And I'm glad it made you laugh.

_"Now, allow me to show you my deepest secrets?"_

Wrath's eyes went wide. He'd known the man for what, two days, and already he was willing to show Wrath something like that?

Well, Wrath knew it probably wasn't something to do with bodybuilding now at least.

Unless Alex had a bodybuilding secret he wanted to show Wrath?

Wrath shuddered at the very thought.

He wouldn't say Alex's muscles were unattractive- what was he thinking, of course they were! - but he didn't want to try to get there himself. He preferred his wiry, whipcord muscles, thank you very much. Apprehensively, he followed Alex into the room. Alex seemed to be moving by pure instinct, or he just knew the room very well. _Well, I suppose it's too dark for a normal human to see very well. At least I still have heightened senses with as little Stone as I have._ He blinked, allowing himself to adjust to the light-

_Dear Gate, save me!_

It was even worse than he'd thought.

How could someone _use_ that much exercise equipment? Wrath almost started to back away, but when Alex showed no signs of stopping, just walking down the aisle to three bookshelves at the back of the room, Wrath hurried after him.

_Why isn't he going to one of the machines? _Wrath wondered.

Alex stopped next to the leftmost bookcase. Wrath's eyes went wide.

Was that an exercise magazine or two hundred of them? He wondered. It certainly looked like it. Was he going to show Wrath his collection of vintage exercise magazines? That's almost be worse than being forced to watch Alex exercise!

Almost.

But, instead, Alex grabbed the entire bookshelf by the sides. Wrath blinked, started. _Is he doing to actually pick it up?_ He wondered. He wasn't far off, he realized, but far enough. Alex instead shoved it to the side. Wrath winced, expecting it to tumble over, but instead it revealed a darkened doorway. Wrath blinked.

_Huh?_ He tried to see into the room, but it was too dark even for him. He frowned, but followed Alex into the waiting darkness.

He heard Alex close the door behind them, and Wrath winced as the last of the light vanished. The darkness surrounded him, cutting everything off, and it was like he was completely alone and in the Gate again. A nameless fear rose up in his throat, and he involuntarily whimpered. Blindly, he reached out, hoping to find something, anything physical to prove to himself _he wasn't back in the Gate, he was okay, he wasn't in the Gate-_

He collapsed to his knees, finally settling for the pure physical sensation of flesh against flesh. He waited, eyes straining, wondering where Alex was and why he wasn't _doing_ something, dammit-

He was completely unprepared for a far, far too bright white light to flare up, and he yelped, instantly covering his eyes. "Fuck!" He cursed, hands over his eyes. "Why the hell didn't you warn me?"

But as his eyes adjusted to the light, faster than any normal human's, he realized Alex wasn't in the room.

He blinked, standing up from the position he'd been in, which was a mix of a crouch and the fetal position. He looked around the room.

He was standing on flawless white tile-_ that must be made with Alchemy-_ that gave way to flawless white walls and a flawless white ceiling. It was almost like the white area outside of the Gate, except there was an electric light overhead that _entirely_ ruined the effect. Wrath felt he should have been miffed at the ruining of such an austere effect, but he found himself grateful for the break from the odd deja vu Gate-style he'd had in the past minute or so. Though he associated the whiteness with finally getting out of there, he didn't really care to be reminded of it in any way. He turned around, wondering where Alex had gone. The room was rather large, around ten by fifteen feet- not overlarge, but large enough Wrath didn't feel much in the way of claustrophobia.

There were two doorways that Wrath could see. One was a Xingese sliding door, which explained why Alex had pulled the shelf instead of just moving it or something. The other, set on the other side of the room, almost blended into the walls except for the doorknob- which was also white. _What the hell? There's a little too much white here!_Briefly, he wondered if there really was something wrong with the over-muscled man- not only did he seem to have two personalities, be way too affectionate, and a mother hen, he also seemed to have an unhealthy obsession with the color white.

Wrath walked towards the door, figuring Alex must have gone through it. Wrath hadn't heard him, but he'd been an inch away from a panic attack- he could have missed anything.

The door opened just as he reached out towards it. Alex poked his head out. "Wrath? Are you coming?" He asked.

Wrath nodded, flushing. "Sorry." He muttered, hurrying forward.

Alex smiled at him. "What are you apologizing for?" He asked, stepping aside to allow Wrath to go past him.

Wrath froze, eyes widening.

It was a very large room that must have taken up most of the space under the manor, but that wasn't what startled him.

Covering the walls and floor were countless circles, notes, shelves of books and papers, and from what Wrath could see, they all focused on one thing: Human Transmutation.

_Alex can't be playing around with this stuff!_ But he obviously was, Wrath realized with horror as he saw the lab tables _that had human bodies on them._

"You monster." Wrath whirled to face the man, rage bubbling up from the pit of his stomach. "You don't know what you're playing with!" He glared at Alex.

Alex was unmoved. "You don't understand." He said simply.

"What's there to understand! You're trying to bring back the dead, aren't you?" He clenched his fists, ignoring the spasm of pain as his automail complained at the movement.

"No."

"Huh?" Wrath blinked, startled out of his anger. "Y-you aren't?"

"No, I'm not." He walked over to one of the tables. "You see, I'm not trying to create humans."

"Eh?" Wrath frowned. "You mean you're trying to create Homunculi?"

"No. Homunculi have souls too, right?"

Wrath frowned. "I don't know." He admitted. "No one does."

Alex smiled at him. "Actually, yes, someone does. I do." He walked back over to Wrath and set a beefy hand on the smaller boy's shoulders. "You feel emotions, right?" At Wrath's hesitant nod, Alex's smile grew wider. "Therefore, you have a soul. These creatures are exactly like humans in every way. They have brains, organs, eyes, skin, the ability to think." He led Wrath over to one, a young woman with brown hair. "If I send the right signals through the brain, using alchemy of course, I jump-start the entire body. They wake up, and are very like children- no memories, no knowledge, nothing. Here, I'll show you." He abandoned Wrath for a moment to take a paper down from the nearest shelf. He walked back over and set it on the woman's forehead. He set a finger to it, activating the circle. Wrath jumped as the woman's body jerked to one side. The blanket that had covered her fell, revealing the woman was naked except for restraints- which were the only things that kept her from falling off the table. "She's the first successful one, so she knows some English." Alex told Wrath. Wrath snapped his jaw shut- when had it fallen open? And nodded. Alex turned back to the woman. "Bell?" He asked. "That's her name." He whispered to Wrath.

The woman's head tilted to one side. "I'm awake." She observed. "A visitor." She added, noticing Wrath.

Alex smiled at her. "Yes. This is Wrath. Wrath, this is Bell."

Wrath nodded, wondering why he felt so unsure. _Is she a Homunculus, or something else?_ He wondered.

"A pleasure." The woman said monotonously. "Mr. Armstrong, may I go back to sleep?" She asked, her face and tone not changing. Wrath shuddered- it was kind of horrifying, that complete lack of any emotion. _I'm so glad I have a soul. That life seems so colorless... no wonder she wants to sleep!_

"Of course, Bell." Alex reached over to the shelf and pulled down another paper. He replaced the first one with it and activated it. The woman's eyes closed.

Wrath looked up at Alex, unable to hide the horror in his eyes.

Alex nodded sadly. "I see you understand. I tried to create a human, and instead I got a doll." He sighed. "I don't know whether I should destroy it or keep working."

"How did you do it?" Wrath asked. "How did you... create them?"

"Without enraging the Gate?" Alex guessed.

Wrath blinked, startled. "You know about the Gate?" He asked.

Alex nodded. "My first attempt nearly cost me my life. I tried to create a soul."

Wrath let out a surprised breath of air. "Ouch. How did you get out of that one?"

Alex shrugged. "I don't know. I thought I was going to die, but instead, all I got was one revelation: It's not a sin if you don't try for a soul."

"But..." Wrath frowned. "The Gate always takes something."

"It did." Alex smiled at him. "Do dreams count?"

"Huh?" Wrath frowned. "How can it take away your dreams? You still seem to have then..."

Alex laughed. "Not ambitions, silly. I can't dream at night any more."

Wrath's jaw dropped. "What?" He asked. "Why the hell did the damned Gate take away your _dreams_?"

Alex chuckled. "They were what was most important to me. Armstrong Manor isn't quite the warm place it seems, you know. We're quite the dysfunctional family. In my dreams, I had everything I wanted... everything I'd needed. Though, really, there was only one thing..."

Wrath stared, breath knocked out of him by the flash of pure _longing_ he'd seen in Alex's eyes. The man was really unhappy underneath it all, he realized. Underneath the countless masks he'd piled up around himself, he was damned_ miserable._ "What is it you wanted so badly?"

Alex laughed bitterly. "It's rather sappy, even for me." The man warned. "Are you sure you want to hear it?"

"I wouldn't have asked if I didn't." Wrath replied solemnly.

Alex smiled sadly, blue eyes dim. "Affection, love, caring. You know, I've never loved anyone?" He asked suddenly. "Not even as a friend."

_That_ surprised Wrath. "No one?" He exclaimed, stunned. "Not even Edward or Mustang?"

Alex shook his head. "I don't trust that easily." Suddenly, the man laughed. "And, of course, here I am baring my soul to you. It appears you've made me trust you, Wrath."

Wrath blushed. "Mm." He muttered, unsure what to say. He wasn't used to this 'trust' thing, and he wasn't sure he trusted Alex. After all, why would anyone trust him, a Homunculus, after less than two days? Granted, they had a lot in common, and enjoyed each other's company, but Wrath wasn't sure about anything.

"We should go before someone misses us." Alex said reluctantly, shattering the moment.

Wrath nodded. "And I want to go back to sleep." He decided, realizing he was still tired.

Alex laughed. "Well, I don't see why not. Alright then, let's go." He clapped Wrath on the shoulder and walked towards the door. "After all, it's not like an alchemist needs much of an education, right?"

"Send me to school and I swear I'll break your exercise equipment. Everything I need to know I learned from the Gate, and more." Wrath said sternly, following him.

Alex laughed. "Oh, that is a low blow! ...Except I can always buy more." He grinned at Wrath.

Wrath's jaw dropped. "You... you bastard!" He yelped. "Be glad my automail doesn't work well enough yet, or I'd hit you!"

"Ouch." Alex actually winced, which probably meant he had experience with automail punches. Wrath smirked to himself- he'd have to thank Edward for that. Otherwise, Alex would probably have just laughed. "Well, then, let's get you back to bed. I need to get ready to go to work." Alex sighed.

Wrath sighed. He'd almost forgotten the man was in the military. _Well,_ he told himself firmly,_ at least the military isn't run by Pride anymore. Right?_

Then again, the new leader was a pervert.

Wrath never liked perverts...

Namely, Greed.

Wrath suddenly realized Alex had already started walking. _Stop fuzzing out, dammit!_ He told himself firmly, hurrying after Alex.

Alex led him back through the white room and into the exercise room. The man closed the door and kept walking.

He almost walked straight into one of the machines, proving that the man couldn't see at all. Wrath chuckled. Alex stopped.

"You saw that?" The man asked, startled.

"Oh. Yeah. My senses are stronger than a human's." Wrath said.

"Ah." Alex nodded and continued. "Then warn me next time, please?"

"Yeah, sure." But there was no need- Alex oriented himself and got to the door with no incident.

It seemed like forever before they finally reached Wrath's room, and Wrath felt like he was going to fall asleep any second now- standing or not. "Thanks." He said, working up a smile for Alex.

"No, thank you." Alex said, smiling gently. "Good... morning, I suppose?" Alex chuckled. "Well, sleep well, dearest."

Wrath sighed. _Just when he'd stopped calling me that for a while!_

_ Oddly, I don't think I mind the nickname anymore..._

"G'night." He muttered, eye's half closed. He walked into the room, yawning, and only bothered to take off his shoes before flopping into the overlarge, fluffy and _amazingly_ soft bed. He fell asleep almost instantly.

X

Alex closed the door, still smiling. _I think I know what love feels like now._ He thought. _Thank you, Wrath... my dearest one._

X

A/N:

Holycrap. I have no clue why this chapter was so freaking hard to write! I am SO sorry it took this long. With a bad case of writer's block mixed in with preparing for some really important tests and et cetera, I haven't gotten as much as I'd like written. I should have the next chapter up really soon.


End file.
